Gwen's face was flooded with tears. When she had first heard the news that Arthur was dead, she had seemed unmoved. She had just walked home without a single tear falling down her face. Anyone who had seen her would have thought that she was just going home after a hard day's work, but all the while her heart was breaking.

It wasn't until she finished reading the letter that the tears came. She had been in denial, but now the letter made it all too clear. He was dead. The thought that she would never see him again was too hard to bear.

She read and reread the letter several times, soaking up every word. Several parts lept out at her as she read. She had never told him, but she loved the way he said her name. He was the only person who continually called her "Guinevere" instead of Gwen. The way he said it made her feel special. It made her feel as if she were his equal, not a servant.

"Lancelot is a good man." It was true, Gwen had known that from the very first moment she met him, but now she realized, Lancelot is a good man, but Arthur was a great man. Lancelot had seemed the image of perfection to Gwen and he still did. At first she had been fall for that, but now she knew that she did not want a "perfect" man. She wanted Arthur. Arthur had plenty of faults, but she just loved him the more for them.

Lancelot had been a mistake. One she deeply regretted. She could never forget the pained look on Arthur's face when he had seen them holding hands and smiling at each other. Lancelot had hurt her, but not nearly half as much as she had hurt Arthur. Over time she had come to realize that Lancelot had done the right thing by leaving. She might have been happy with for a time, but eventually she would have regretted it and would have given everything to go back to Arthur. Maybe Lancelot had known that.

The only person Gwen blamed was herself. She should have known that Arthur and Merlin would come to rescue her, yet the thought had not crossed her mind the entire time she was held captive. Lancelot had been there when she needed someone. Lancelot had been verbal about his affection for her, whereas Arthur had always been rather quiet. She knew now that it didn't mean that Arthur loved her less, just that he was not always good at expressing his feelings.

Shortly after the incident with Lady Vivien, Merlin had come to her and told her what Arthur had said when they were on their way to rescue her. The words echoed in her mind now. "I think about her all the time...I care about her more than anyone...I don't know what I'd do if any harms comes to her."

Those words touched her as they had done when she had first heard them. They were short, but sweet. Simple, but powerful. Gwen would rather hear a speech like that anytime than one of the long eloquent loves speeches noblemen were inclined to give.

She closed her eyes and remembered Arthur as he was when she had last seen him. He had been wearing his armor, about to go out to battle. How she had begged him not to go! He hadn't said anything, instead he had just taken her into his arms and kissed her passionately. She had relived that kiss every night since the news of his death.

Dead. That one word had changed her life twice now, the first time with her father and now Arthur. It was the one word she had been dreading once Arthur left for battle, and now her fears were true.

Gwen thought about the incident with Lady Vivien. At the time, she really hadn't thought much about it, but now she realized that even though he had been under a spell and enchanted with another woman, Arthur had still treated her the same why had always did. He had been kind and caring, no magic on earth could change that. Nothing would ever change the way he felt about her...or her about him.

How upset she had been when she thought he no longer cared. The fact that he had apparently stopped loving her was bad enough, but that he should love Lady Vivien in her place? Well, it felt like a slap in the face. Then Merlin had shown up at her house and told her that Arthur was under a spell. Oh, Gwen wanted to believe it, but part of her was unsure. Did it mean that Arthur really did love her after all? Yes, it did.

The moment she kissed him and then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed back passionately, she knew it was true. For a moment she had almost forgotten about everything else, Lady Vivien and Lancelot especially. And then they had pulled away, and Gwen could see the love in his eyes, the spell had been broken.

Unfortunately, they hadn't had much time to talk. He had to go fight. Gwen had watched, fear for his life the foremost emotion. But he had won, and just as importantly, he had spared King Olaf's life. Gwen had never been more proud of him.

How she wished she could take back what she said. It was true that she loved him, but she had honestly believed that they could never be together. It was not a pleasant thought.

In her mind she saw the dragon coming out her again and Arthur's voice shouting her name. He had risked his life for her that day. She had chided my for it, but she would never forget his face or his voice when he said, "I wasn't going to let anything happen to you."

She never would have let anything happen to him either, but now it made little difference. He was dead, gone forever, and all she could do was wish that things had been different.

Gwen jumped with surprise when there was a knock on her door. Opening it, she found Sir Leon standing there. "Yes?" she tried to keep her voice calm, and hoped it did not betray all the emotions which had felt since reading the letter. "The king requests your presence in the Great Hall, at once."

Gwen followed the knight, wondering what the king could possibly want her for. Little did she realize that her life was about to change again.